San Francesco del Prato is a

Gothic Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths **Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...

-style, Roman Catholic church, now deconsecrated, located on Piazzale San Francesco #4 in central

Parma Parma (; egl, Pärma, ) is a city in the northern Italian region of Emilia-Romagna known for its architecture, Giuseppe Verdi, music, art, prosciutto (ham), Parmigiano-Reggiano, cheese and surrounding countryside. With a population of 198,292 ...

, Italy.

History

Founded by the

Franciscan order , image = FrancescoCoA PioM.svg , image_size = 200px , caption = A cross, Christ's arm and Saint Francis's arm, a universal symbol of the Franciscans , abbreviation = OFM , predecessor = , ...

, the first church on the site was built 1227-1238. Their adjacent school once housed the theologian Bartolomeo Mastri da Meldola. The nave had two aisles, separated by columns. The cupola pinnacles were painted by Michele Anselmi. The apse has an aged fresco depicting ''Christ Pantocrator'' attributed to Bernardino Grossi and Jacopo Loschi. The ''Oratorio della Concezione'' (Oratory of the Immaculate Conception) was designed by

Bernardino Zaccagni Bernardino Zaccagni (c. 1455 – 1531) was an Italian architect, mainly active in a Renaissance style in Parma. Biography He was born in Rivalta di Lesignano, and died in Parma Parma (; egl, Pärma, ) is a city in the northern Italian regi ...

and

Giovanni Francesco Ferrari d'Agrate Giovanni may refer to: * Giovanni (name), an Italian male given name and surname * Giovanni (meteorology), a Web interface for users to analyze NASA's gridded data * ''Don Giovanni'', a 1787 opera by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, based on the legend of ...

in the 16th century. It was decorated with frescos by

Michelangelo Anselmi Michelangelo Anselmi (c. 1492 – c. 1554) was an Italian Renaissance-Mannerist painter active mostly in Parma. Biography He was born, apparently in Tuscany, perhaps in Lucca, from a Parmesan family of ancient Langobard origin, known as ...

and

Francesco Rondani Giovanni Maria Francesco Rondani (15 July 1490 – September 1550) was an Italian painter, active in a Renaissance style in Parma. Biography He was a near contemporary of Michelangelo Anselmi, and is known to have worked on designs of Antonio da ...

in 1532-1533. Until it was looted by Napoleonic troops in 1803, the main altar had a painting of ''The Conception of Our Lady'', a masterpiece of

Girolamo Mazzola Bedoli Girolamo Mazzola Bedoli (c. 1500–1569) was an Italian painter active in the Mannerist style. Biography Bedoli was born in Parma in a family coming from Viadana in Lombardy. He was a near contemporary of Parmigianino, and after the early death ...

, In 1816, the painting was restored, but is now displayed in the Galleria Nazionale di Parma. In the oratory, there is a copy . Most of the other paintings once in the church have either been destroyed, dispersed, or are now in either the church of Santissima Trinità Vecchia, or in the Galleria Nazionale di Parma. After the suppression of the rites in 1800, the church became a city jail. Cells were in the nave, and this led to a replacement of the windows, and covering of the frescos. The bell-tower held the isolation cell for special prisoners. The church is undergoing restoration, and plans to be reconsecrated in 2021.ParmaReport article

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:San Francesco Al Prato, Parma

Francesco Francesco, the Italian (and original) version of the personal name " Francis", is the most common given name among males in Italy. Notable persons with that name include: People with the given name Francesco * Francesco I (disambiguation), sev ...